I have received a Whatsapp message today from a journalist for the Sunday Times called Shanti Das. Interestingly, this is the same journalist who was behind the hit-piece on Professor Christopher Exley from Keele university a few weeks ago. The professor was investigating links between autism and aluminium toxicity. Since the article was published his research funding has been withdrawn. Job done.
Someone REALLY doesn’t want the link between autism & aluminium being investigated. Can anyone guess why? (on an unrelated note, the family that owns the Sunday Times also own QUITE a lot of shares in pharmaceutical companies. I’m sure this is just a coincidence)
I will not be giving this journalist a statement. She has demonstrated that she is acting in bad faith. Instead, I’ll answer her statements, questions and accusations here on my own blog where no newspaper editor can manipulate them for their own agenda.
You claim to ‘cure’ autism
Firstly, I don’t claim to be able to ‘cure’ autism. It’s an absurd statement as ‘autism’ is a great big umbrella term covering many different symptoms. In recent years many things have been added under this diagnosis. In the past, a socially awkward computer geek with a few quirks that builds a multi-million dollar software company might have been labelled as ‘aspergers’, now he’s lumped under ‘autism’. Right along with the 24 year old man in 24/7 residential care still in nappies (diapers), who needs sedation, anticonvulsants and psychiatric medications to control his anger and seizures. This young man is non-verbal and spends his days screeching and flicking his fingers, totally cut off from the world. He doesn’t have any capacity for self-care and appears not to recognise his own family when they come to visit. Do you see how absurd putting these two young men under the same umbrella is?
The piece (which hasn’t been published yet) will likely allude to autism being nothing more than ‘neuro-diversity’, just different ways that people’s brains are wired. If this is all it is, then logically I’m clearly a fraud, deranged or deluded for claiming to help anyone.
But does this ‘neuro-diversity’ narrative reflect reality? Listen to parent’s testimonies of their perfectly happy baby meeting every milestone until 14 months old, then ‘the lights went out’. Speech stopped, eye-contact stopped, chronic constipation and unbearable tummy pain began. Or the other stories of parents who have made incredible progress through biomedical interventions, or something as simple as a change of diet. Does this sound like ‘neuro-diversity’ to any sane person?
I ‘treat’ autism. This is a very different statement to claiming to ‘cure’. I offer no guarantees, but many of the 1185 (at last count) children that I’ve treated have derived significant benefit from homeopathy. Instead of making potentially libellous accusations, perhaps actual journalism should involve investigating some of my cases and talking to some of my former patients? There’s an incredible story to be told here, unfortunately the mainstream media have an agenda to push, so that story won’t be told in the Sunday Times any time soon.
Your treatments are untested and may be harmful
The homeopathic remedies that I prescribe have been tested for 200 years. They have been tested by many thousands of homeopaths on millions of patients. They are un-patented medicines, anyone is free to buy them and conduct whatever tests they feel like. What they haven’t been through is some sort of expensive medicine licensing procedure. Anti-homeopathy campaigners have tried in the past to restrict the public’s access to homeopathic remedies by attempting to insist that every remedy (there are 5000+) undergoes this licensing. The plan is brilliant in its simplicity…the remedies, as said earlier, are un-patented so there would be no profit in spending £400,000 or £500,000 licensing each one. The result would be that no remedies would get licensed and homeopathy would cease. Luckily the government disagreed (because homeopathy has proven itself an incredibly safe system of medicine for two centuries), homeopathic remedies continue to be freely available at homeopathic pharmacies, and the manufacture of homeopathic remedies in the UK is strictly regulated by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
How could the remedies conceivably be ‘harmful’? It appears the journalists/propagandists are walking a tightrope here. They have to claim BOTH that there’s no evidence that homeopathic remedies could have any effect because they don’t contain any active ingredients AND that the remedies are potentially dangerous because they contain (and I quote) ‘biohazardous materials which may still present a risk after dilution’. It’s a confusing statement to unpick, don’t you agree?! They could claim that the remedies are being manufactured incorrectly, I suppose, and are ending up contaminated with harmful materials. But this is just an assertion presented without any evidence (the quality of journalism here in the UK is dire, as you can see!).
All the remedies that I prescribe are purchased directly by my patients from well known homeopathic pharmacies. These are all registered pharmacies staffed by qualified pharmacists and homeopaths. They are also monitored closely by the General Pharmaceutical Council, and the MHRA (medicines and healthcare products regulatory agency). Any issues around the safety of the homeopathic remedies fall under the purview of the pharmacies that manufacture them. Note: As far as I’m aware there hasn’t been a single case in the UK of anything being found untoward in any remedy manufactured by the pharmacies. Homeopathy is just incredibly safe medicine.
You are not registered with any UK society of homeopaths.
Yes this is true. I think this might be the first accurate, unbiased statement from our young journo. Though we can see WHY she makes this statement, the implication here is that I’m somehow a maverick outside the law, operating illegally and generally not to be trusted (see, told you it was a propaganda piece). The fact is, there’s no statutory requirement for me to be registered with a registering body. I have both a bachelor of science degree and a licentiate in homeopathy, but choose for the time being to not be affiliated with the Society of Homeopaths. I operate completely legally within UK law. Note, since writing this article, I have become a member of HINT (Homeopathy International).
The remedies you are prescribing are putting patients at risk
What an incredible accusation from a journalist with clearly no understanding of either homeopathy or my work. Is she alluding to these imaginary ‘biohazardous materials’ that she has no evidence of again? I’m genuinely confused. Ah…I’ve put my cynical hat on, NOW I see what she’s doing. She’s putting statements like this in the piece so the readers will be alarmed and think there’s a risk. Again, what an appalling standard of journalism. This is just propaganda.
Patients have presented with extreme side effects such as rashes, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever…
Our journo has been reading my website I see. Good, gotta keep those views up as my site STILL hasn’t recovered from the malicious hack a few months ago. Let’s pick apart her statement. ‘Side effect’: How can a homeopathic remedy have a ‘side effect’, there’s no active ingredient! Any effect we observe will be (can ONLY be) the body itself reacting energetically to the remedy. Notice how she cherry picks ‘extreme’ things like fever from my website, but then fails to mention that after the fever the child started babbling again, or their eye contact returned, or their hyperactivity decreased by 90%. In other words, she took something out of context in an attempt to discredit me. How can these journalists be so dishonest in their reporting?
How can you offer a cure despite no scientific evidence autism is curable?
Again, I don’t claim that I offer a cure. However I DO claim that homeopathy can do AMAZING things for these autistic kids. We can help get them back on their life path. At this point I don’t have much faith in the ‘scientific evidence’ route. This is the same journalist, remember, that did a hit piece on the professor investigating the role aluminium toxicity plays in autism. In other words, she’s actively working to suppress any scientific evidence that would challenge the current consensus.
I’m sure there will be other wild claims or accusations made. I haven’t seen the piece yet. Hopefully I will have covered the main points that she will bring up. If not, I might write a second piece if I feel it necessary.
On a side note, I’m slightly concerned about what effect all this media attention is going to have on my privacy and safety. Already a Twitter mob has: Hacked & shut down my website, left fake reviews on Google and Facebook, left defamatory voicemails, text messages, and emails, reported me to the ASA, the local police, my local M.P, the MHRA, Trading Standards, the local city council, attacked the lady that built my website, posted my home address and pictures of my house etc.
The goal with all this intimidation is of course for me to shut up and stop talking about the work that I’m doing, to scare me into silence. Anyone who knows me might also know that I have a stubborn streak, so they’ll not stop me. In fact when I meet resistance like this, it just lets me know I’m on the right path. Saying this, I’m considering ‘going dark’ and making it much harder for people to know where I am. Unfortunately this might mean stopping patient’s visiting me in my office. Ultimately it might even mean moving countries and only accepting crypto-currency for payment, but I hope that this drastic step won’t be necessary.
Please share a link to this post with anyone that wants to hear my rebuttal to the Sunday Times piece. Thank you.
Alan Freestone
April 2019
Here’s a copy of the Whatsapp message that I received from the Sunday Times journalist Shanti Das:
“My name is Shanti Das and I’m a reporter getting in touch from the Sunday Times.
We are preparing an article for this weekend’s newspaper about homeopathic remedies being offered as a “cure” for autism. This comes after we learned that you are offering treatments that have been untested and may be harmful.
The Sunday Times understands that:
-You claim that autism can be cured using homeopathic remedies and say you have treated 1,200 autistic patients to date
-The remedies that you have prescribed to children as young as three include Carcinosinum, Lyssinum, Medorrhinum and nux vomica
-You also prescribe vaccine detoxes that you say can help undo the “damage” caused by vaccines, which you claim cause autism
-You are not registered with any UK society of homeopaths
-The remedies you are prescribing are putting patients at risk. They contain biohazardous materials which may still present a risk after dilution
-Patients have presented with extreme side effects such as rashes, vomiting, diarrhoea and fever. You claim these symptoms are not dangerous and are proof that the remedy is working.
-What is your response to the above points?
-Why are you offering cures for autism despite there being no credible scientific evidence that autism is curable?
-What is your response to the claim that the remedies you are prescribing contain potentially harmful ingredients and may be putting patients at risk?
We will be running an article on Sunday. If you wish to comment on the above points, please get back to me via email, on WhatsApp or call me on xxxxxxx as soon as possible.
Best wishes,
Shanti Das
Reporter, the Sunday Times”
Ehhh the press, and the deluded, brainwashed, evil, self-serving people who are targeting enlightened people like you Alan Freestone, make me sick. SO many autistic people out there who sit under this big umbrella struggle with serious health problems which seriously impede their ability to live good happy functioning lives and it is people like you who make a big difference to them and their families. You help them improve their guts, reduce the inflammation, rebalance the immune system etc This is what is needed to treat them and what we have benefitted so much with our son. We haven’t been to you, but we have made great progress with a naturopath over the last 3 years, I daren’t think about where my son would be without her help. The changes we have seen are amazing! We have used homeopathy too, to great effect – with all the family, and for years (and often Shanti Das you do get worse before you get better because it is the dis-ease coming out from within! but then you are properly better not in a ‘put a plaster over the symptoms’ kind of way). I despise these people that attack you and your work in the same way that I despise ISIS – they are cut from the same cloth basically extreme, irrational, narrow minded, and FEARFUL. I stand with you and the GROWING body of people internationally who are fighting current concensus and dogma and are not afraid to fight for what we know is true – that people with autism can have their lives completely transformed by targeting GUT, IMMUNE SYSTEM and INFLAMMATION through treatments like homeopathy and naturopathy. Good luck in fighting the un-enlightened, one day we will prevail.
Thank you, what a lovely post.
I would really like to know what happens in a person’s brain that would allow them to attack somebody that is perhaps making children better just so the journalist can get a pay packet and possibly a pat on the back from their master?
I think that “possible cure for autism”, even though also not totally accurate, would bring them a bigger readership…
Is there perhaps a homeopathic remedy that could give them some insight into how damaged they are?
Listen Alan you are doing a wonderful job helping the public with certfied remedies that have no side effects .I can vouch for this first hand.You recently gave a remedy for my childs acne and i coudnt believe it the acne stopped ! despite attempts by gp and the hospital tono avail.I was frustrated with my doctors cream that didnt do anything at all. So i Know these remedies work . this ‘ whatever Das ‘ doesnt want to lose her job so needs to report on whatever sells paper even if it’s to the publics detriment. As a law student I wish i could speak to her regarding the 5g masts. As soon as China implemented them mid 2019 people were falling over and dying or getting critically ill.Why doesnt she ask our governemt that thousands of studies suggest that the EMF might cause illness or death and why didnt the government halt the rollout like some european countries till proven beyond reasonable doubt that 5G is safe? The WHO/International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B), based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer1, associated with wireless phone use!!!. getting true answers that help the public is Real journalism , what these fools are doing is dark and heartless as they are just focusing on their revenue.Anecdotal evidence shows the true potential for homeopathy so we dont need a fake journalist to rattle their gums to prove anything to us.Please dont allow my email to be disclosed Alan thank you
Continue with the good job you are doing with helping these children and their parents. Don’t go effect of all the suppression put on your lines. Florish and prosper.
Thank you.
Has anyone noticed the ‘Suppression’ Alan is getting from the press..? It’s like another type of suppression we have to live with..
About time you did a workshop for us Alan.. 🙂
3rd Yr student of Homeopathy
I’m happy to David, just ask the college to email me.
Keep up the good work Alan, you are making such a difference to many lives.
Thank you.
Hi Alan, I’m not a journalist, but I’m sharing stories of people who have healed from “incurable” or “terminal” diseases, including autism recovery stories at https://www.connect4hope.com/stories-of-hope. I’m doing this to provide hope and inspiration to others who are trying to heal themselves or family members from the same diseases. If any of your patients would like to share their children’s recovery stories, I would be more than happy to interview them or post what they send me on my website. It doesn’t sound like the Sunday Times wants to share these stories, but I would love to do so!
Thank you.
My son was diagnosed as autistic with high functioning aspergers. They tried drugging him and it made him miserable so he refused to take it. Then we found a homeopath who understood how to treat him. He is now a fabulous young man, intelligent, caring, healthy and contributing positively to society. He’s also a passionate supporter of homeopathy.
Don’t give up Alan. I couldn’t bear to see young people deprived of this wonderful medicine.
That’s brilliant! Oh don’t worry, I’m not planning on going anywhere.
Who did you use?
Thanks for sharing. Stay strong doing what you are doing helping families. Autism is just a label to group symptoms that derive from mostly toxicity and deficiency which then ramify into other issues which differ for each so I agree and thank you.
Thank you
Keep up the good fight! I admire your courage and am so grateful for you and others in homeopathy, etc… for not caving to the huge and frightening pressure from corrupt pharma.
Thank you.
Talking of sides effects..my son had them all after taking pharmaceutical medication but NEVER taking homeopatic remedies. I have seen amazing results that I just can’t ignore. This jorno is so narrow minded.
Thank you Farzana.
So SICK of Pharma shills operating under the cover of ‘so-called journalism’ to suppress enquiry around drugs etc. Recent similar attacks on Dr Malhotra and Prof Exley show you are in good company. The mainstream press and its propaganda is dying. Stay strong
I agree, it’s very transparent when you become aware of it.
I am a parent of children with autistic traits and ADHD. I have heard many stories from parents of how homeopathy has improved the quality of life for such children by removing some of their symptoms so I know what you are doing is benefiting people in the spectrum greatly. I have myself used alternative therapies with success to some degree and am open to introducing homeopathy. I totally refute the this journalists accusations which is clearly biased. One cannot give an impartial report when they have a vested interest. The autism community is behind you, we know the truth as we do re professor Christopher Exley. Please be careful we have woken the sleeping giant , may god protect you and thank you for your courage and commitment to those who know the reality.
Thank you for the kind words H 🙂
Don’t let the b*****d grind you down. Keep up the good work.
Thanks Dawn
Well said, I love the fact you answered her but on your own terms 🙂 and I really don’t think she deserves to be called Shanti.
Yes, I hear ‘shanti’ means ‘inner peace’. I can’t imagine anyone working for the Sunday Times can have much of that.
Great blog Alan thanks for sharing and keep up the good work
Thank you June. 🙂
Alan
Keep up your fantastic work! You are educated, empathic and inspirational and our family will always come to you for help. Our improvements are too many to mention here but we are so grateful to have found you.
That’s very kind Michelle, thank you 🙂
How kind of you to not have her phone number or other contact info. I hope she appreciates that.
It’s ok, I’ve been writing her number on the wall in pub toilets around Birmingham all day today (joke!)
How insignificant the population are to the big money earners eh? Caring for the general public is not their intention.
Is a WhatsApp message a professional form of communication? I don’t think so ~ says it all really.
At least you are doing something to help. There are those that spend their time reporting or gathering evidence….you’re physically doing. You’re helping. Carry on with the good work.
Thank you Leslie, I think journalists & politicians use Whatsapp a lot nowadays (it’s a brave new world!)
I haven’t followed any of the lead-up to this closely, but I will say that, if they want to be able to vilify someone who thinks they might have a beneficial palliative to autism, the first thing that have to ask is what, if any, mainstream treatment are they blocking an autistic person from accessing by using homeopathy instead?
For instance, if one had a patient with life-threatening levels of depression, and you prescribed them St John’s Wort tincture, (note I’m referring to herbal medicine, not homeopathy), that might be said to have impeded them from seeking more drastic but potentially more suitable mainstream medical treatment.
But in the case of autism, (in all it’s variations), what mainstream treatment are you stopping the patient from accessing, exactly? There are parents fighting with schools to get a diagnosis, and classroom support, let alone treatment or a cure! So let people try. People are allowed to smoke, drink, medicate themselves with OTC drugs, and eat sweets. If homeopathy is ineffective, then the net effect and danger can be no more than that of eating very minuscule amounts of confectionary.
Ditto pharmacies. Once they can prove that medicines being routinely dispensed in our pharmacies up and down the land are completely safe and untainted, then they can query homeopathic pharmacies. But when was the last time there was a scandal in the U.K. about homeopathic medications being tainted with lethal levels of carcinogens? Here’s a mainstream drug it took 30 senconds to search on a phone.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8112427/blood-pressure-drug-recalled-contamination/
I personally would be inclined to report them to https://www.ipso.co.uk
This person is a total waste of your time. If she were well regarded at The Times she would have been given something else to write about. She’s being hazed by the management and sent to rake through the same old embers of the autism/vaccine fire, which just won’t go out.
A really good journalist would be asking, “why?”.
All the best with your endeavours!
Thank you, and I agree. I tend to get patients after the mainstream medics have said ‘the only thing we can offer is speech & occupational therapy…& due to cuts there’s a 4 months wait’. If they are on medication, for convulsions for example, then we’ll work out strategies to work alongside their anti-convulsants.
I am proud to know you Alan. Having been also hounded recently, I admire your ability to stand up & fight.
May truth triumph!
Thanks Nails, see you in July 🙂
Hi Alan, I think you’re doing truly amazing work. Don’t let the media stop you. Are you sure you’re comfortable with this being shared or did you mean in private messaging only?
Hi Catherine, thank you. Yes share it.
This doesn’t surprise me at all! I look forward to the day that the public (well most of it) will see that autism can be treated. My son is recovered using the Nemechek protocol (Cillian’s Conquest YouTube) and as he has a big following he’s definitely changing perceptions. I knew when I really “came out” about his recovery I would get backlash but I’m not on earth to please people but to help them!
Well done for all you do and I hope and pray you can have your life back.
Thank you Toni & great to hear about your son’s recovery.
Dear Shanti Das,
As your name suggests you are an Indian and as any Indian you will definitely be aware that homeopathy is widely practised in India.
Indians think Homeopathy is born in India.(i only recently learnt it was German)
Please don’t question your origins cause you may live in the UK now cause your name is a dead give away.
Hi Alan- great, clear replies to the questions posed by the journalist. I agree with Jess above about Shanti Das.
Keep up the great work
Wow it’s hard to believe after 200 years of homeopath some one still have doubts regarding homeopathy. We have clear example of our son who has been treated by Alan for past few years now . Alan never promised or guarantee to cure autism. He always says some autistic symptoms can be fixed or reduced by homeopathy. As in past we have seen lots of symptoms in our son which have been reduced or completely gone since we started the homeopathy. My son is completely different child since his treatment started . We never had any bad or Dangerus reaction with any of remedies by Alan . Yes there are some aggravation In some symptoms which is gone by the time and which is very normal with homeopathy . No doubt Alan has lots of experience and very good knowledge of homeopathy and he knows what he is doing .
That’s very kind of you to say, thank you Manish.
v.nice good work
Shared Alan. The truth will come out now through various medias that are not owned by people with an unjust agenda. I love the way you have explained your work.